V-1. Governance Structure

Policies and Procedures Structure

Virginia Western Community College (VWCC) is a component of the Virginia Community College System
(VCCS). As such, VWCC is subject to the policies and procedures established by the VCCS System Office.
In addition, VWCC is a Virginia State agency, and is subject to State policies which apply to State
agencies generally. The College issues local policies to comply with and implement VCCS and State
policies, and to address issues that are not fully addressed by higher authority as listed in the
following hierarchy:
The Higher Education Reauthorization Act and other federal mandates such as IRS regulations
The Code of Virginia and Governor of Virginia Executive Orders
The State Council of Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV)
Virginia Community College System and other State central agency policies such as Commonwealth Accounting
Policies and Procedures (CAPP)
VWCC publications (Catalog and Student Handbook, Faculty Handbook, etc.)
Other VWCC written policies such as parking regulations

In the event of a conflict or contradiction, the highest applicable level in the hierarchy takes precedence.

Internal Governance Structure

The President's Executive Staff members are responsible for areas within their scope of
responsibility. This group consists of the Vice Presidents and the Human Resources Director. They identify
the need for new or revised policies, recommend appropriate policies, and review College-wide policies. All
new governance policies and substantive revisions to existing policies must be reviewed and approved by the
Executive Staff and accepted by the President prior to becoming official policy.

Deans and department heads are responsible for assuring adherence to established policies
in the conduct of College business. Deans and department heads may issue procedures associated with a policy
within their areas or departments, and are responsible for the accuracy and timeliness of policies and procedures
relating to their areas or departments. This responsibility includes proper notification to respective faculty
and staff of changes and updates to these policies and procedures, and conducting a review of policies at
least annually.

The College Committees and Senates are responsible for reviewing College policy and procedure and for
making recommendations on such matters to the President or Executive Staff. In doing so, these organizations
serve as the official voice of the College.

The College Committees are established by the President's Executive Staff. The Committees and
Senates may be charged with addressing special projects, or strategic tasks of the College such as academic program
reviews, curriculum approval, reviewing new technology needs, etc. Committees may vary somewhat from year to year
based on the changing needs of the College. Committee membership is coordinated through the Institutional Effectiveness
Office, except where otherwise specified in committee by-laws. Faculty members typically serve on at least one
committee each year. Most administrators and staff members serve on at least two committees each year.

Faculty Senate, Administrative Faculty, and Staff Senates are forums to discuss the concerns of teaching
faculty, administrators, and College staff, respectively.

Student Council is a forum to discuss the concerns of students. All students are welcome to participate.
Representatives from each student organization also attend Student Council meetings. Student Council selects
the students who also become members of the College Committees.

Recommendations Process

Recommendations for changes that impact multiple areas of the College may be initiated by any member of the College
community. Executive Staff members may make recommendations for change directly to the Executive Staff. Other interested
parties may make recommendations for change through College Committees and Senates using the College Recommendation form.
Recommendations for change by faculty and staff may also be presented to the respective Vice President. Recommendations
from Student Council are presented to the appropriate College Committee by the student representative to that committee.

The originating Committee or Senate sends the College Recommendation form to their associated Executive Staff member,
to other groups that may be affected by the change, and to the Institutional Effectiveness Office (IEO). The Executive
Staff member for the Senates is the President of the College. Changes to the Faculty Evaluation process must be approved
by a majority in the Faculty Senate. The IEO publishes a summary of these College Recommendation forms for review by the
College community prior to the next Executive Staff meeting. After consideration of input received from the College
community, the Executive Staff member presents the recommendation to the President's Executive Staff.

All new governance policies and substantive revisions to existing policies must be reviewed and approved by the
Executive Staff and accepted by the President prior to becoming official policy. Changes affecting only one department
may be handled within that department with the approval of the Executive Staff member.

Distribution of Policies

After the President approves a policy, the Executive Staff member who presented it is charged with implementation.
The President's Office also forwards the policy to the Policy Coordinator. The Policy Coordinator incorporates the
policy changes into the VWCC Policy Manual and other publications, and distributes the policy changes to the College
community. The Policy Coordinator also schedules the policy for future review as appropriate. For 2012-13, the
role of Policy Coordinator will be fulfilled by the Institutional Effectiveness Office.

Meeting Times

VWCC sets aside time for each group of the internal governance structure to meet. Most College Committee and
Senate meetings are held in rotation starting after the first week of classes. Meetings are typically held on
Wednesdays from noon to 1:00 pm. Wednesdays when classes are not in session are not included in the rotation.
In order to ensure that staff are available to assist students during peak lunch hours, Staff Senate meets in
the morning or later in the afternoon. The list of Schedule A and Schedule B committees is revised and published
at the beginning of each academic year.

Other committees meet as provided in their by-laws. Any subcommittees meet as needed to accomplish the
specified tasks.

Committee Duties

Each of the committees and senates operates under by-laws which include the group's purpose, objectives and
general membership requirements. The duties for committee leadership are detailed in "Guidelines for Committee Officers", located on the College website. Groups may also be given specific tasks by the Executive
Staff, typically at the beginning of the academic year. Each group may have subcommittees that focus on
particular issues.

VWCC Alerts

We use VW Alert to immediately contact you during a major crisis or emergency.